Vande Weerd, Tom and Jody - Riverside Kennels

There were about 80 dogs and at least two puppies at the kennel at the time of investigation.

There were two kennel areas on the property. The one closest to the owners’ house was a series of enclosures with indoor pens and outdoor runs connected by metal doggie-doors. The outdoor runs had concrete floors and chain link walls. Two pens each held a single Labrador, one pen held two Cocker Spaniels, and another held four Cocker Spaniels. There were two Corgis in a fourth pen, and three Corgis in the fifth pen.

There were several days’ accumulation of feces in the pens, most of it amassed in the corners (3.11(a)-Cleaning of primary enclosures). Weeks’ accumulation of feces was built up outside the concrete slabs (3.1(f)-Drainage and waste disposal).

Each pen contained a plastic water bucket; one was tipped over (3.10-Watering).

The chain link had separated from its metal post at the top of one of the walls in a Cocker Spaniel pen and at the bottom of a wall in a Corgi pen, leaving sharp wire ends exposed (3.1(a)-Structure; construction). In the Corgi pen, these wire ends protruded into the kennel (3.1(c)(1)(ii)-Surfaces).

This particular Corgi pen was on the corner of the kennel building, and instead of having an indoor enclosure that was part of the building like the other pens, the three Corgis had a single dog house with a metal doggie-door attached to it.

Second kennel area The other kennel structure was a metal building with about ten whelping cages along one side and another ten enclosures with indoor/outdoor cages on the opposite side. There were two to four dogs per cage.

All of the cages were raised about four feet above the ground. They had wire walls, tops, and floorings and were framed at the corners with plastic beams. Each had a plastic self-feeder attached to the cage wall. The concrete floor had fecal accumulation (3.11-Cleaning of primary enclosures).

Supplies such as dog carriers and plastic dishes were stored on top of some of the cages (3.1(b)-Condition and site). Old food bags, crates, and cleaning supplies were piled up in the middle of the kennel room (3.1(b)-Condition and site).